BY MUSA IDRIS UMAR, NOVEMBER 18, 2025 | 01:15 PM
Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, has warned that insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria will persist unless the military decisively addresses the challenges in the Lake Chad region.
He issued the warning on Monday while receiving the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, who arrived in Maiduguri for his maiden operational visit.
Gov. Zulum said the Lake Chad islands, known as the Tumbus, remain the most critical safe haven for Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.
He noted that despite years of military operations, a full-scale joint offensive involving the Army, Navy, and Air Force has never been carried out in the area.
'If we want to bring down insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria, we must address the challenges we are facing in the Lake Chad,' Gov. Zulum said.
He added that the failure to clear the Tumbus continues to undermine progress in counterinsurgency efforts across the North East.
The governor also highlighted lingering insurgent enclaves in the Sambisa Game Reserve and the Mandara Hills, calling for a unified military approach to dislodge remaining fighters.
He urged the Nigerian Air Force to deploy more Unmanned Aerial Vehicles into the theater, saying improved technology is essential to achieving lasting success.
The governor recommended that senior commanders of the Army, Navy, and Air Force hold a strategic meeting in Maiduguri to harmonize operational plans and strengthen inter-service coordination.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the armed forces but appealed for greater funding to equip troops with modern hardware.
Earlier, AM Aneke praised the governor’s “Borno Model” of community resilience, reconstruction, and reintegration, describing it as a stabilizing complement to military operations.
He said his visit aims to boost troop morale, assess air assets, and strengthen synergy with ground forces in the fight against insurgency.